The Mobile County Commission voted this week to make certain that pets adopted from its animal shelter are spayed or neutered before going home with their new owners. It means adoption fees will go up, but the policy will be more cost effective in the long run.

The Mobile County Animal Shelter reported euthanizing nearly 5,000 animals in 2010, which was a record. The county shelter serves unincorporated areas and some municipalities; the city of Mobile has its own shelter.

Nearly all of the euthanized animals were ill or considered unadoptable because of their breed or aggressive behavior. But keeping pets and strays from breeding in the first place is a far more effective and humane solution to problem of overpopulation.

By state law, pets adopted from shelters or rescue organizations must be spayed or neutered, but the new owner can sign an agreement to do so within 30 days. In practice, the law has proven difficult to enforce.

This way, the county is doing everything it can to ensure that the new family cat or dog will never produce more unwanted offspring.

Stray animals and pets running loose represent a health and public safety hazard. Last year, for example, a 3-year-old girl in Semmes was attacked by three dogs running loose; she needed 161 stitches. And two miniature ponies belonging to the Mobile Police Department were killed by a pack of dogs inside the city limits.

Shelters in Mobile and Baldwin counties work with animal rescue groups to offer a variety of lower-cost spaying and neutering options for pet owners. But as long as some people refuse to accept responsibility for controlling their dogs and cats and for ensuring that the animals cannot breed, taxpayers must cover much of the cost of animal control.